Page 36 of The Demon's Pet

“She’s demonic,” Gabe said, his voice hard as concrete as he faced off with Sam. They were each other’s equal in height and stubbornness, jaws jutting as they squared off. “She must be destroyed.”

“I’m allowed a pet.”

“I’m sorry, what?” I asked, utterly confused.

“Don’t interrupt, human,” Os said. “Sam’s trying to help you.”

“No, I’m not,” Sam said flatly. “But she’d make a good pet. I’m keeping her.”

Mor put his hands on his hips, glancing between his companions. “There is a pet clause in our contract.”

“You can’t take a human pet,” Gabe said, nearly spitting with rage. He wasn’t nearly as handsome when he was angry.

“She’s not a human,” Sam said. “She’s a wolf. A dog.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “So I’m taking her as a pet.”

“You’re allowed…” Gabe pinched his nose. “As an archangel, you’re allowed a companion animal. It’s true. Things can be lonely, but—” He looked over at me. “That’s not an animal.”

“You’re right. It’s not,” Sam said, folding his arms. “It’s a demon. A useful one.”

“How so?” Gabe said, eyeing the collar around my neck for some reason. “You said she isn’t the one we’re looking for.”

Sam shook his head. “She’s not, but she can help us root out other demons. She’s a succubus. She’ll attract them. Make them easier to find among the congregations.”

“What do you mean?”

“Demons will be drawn to her,” Sam said. “Then we can find them easier. You know any demon with any significant power is good at hiding it.”

“You said she was a common kind,” Gabe said. “The brimstone only turned yellow. That means a common demon.”

Sam nodded. “That’s why she’ll make a good pet. Not dangerous enough to be a threat, but good demon bait. Trust me, we can use her.”

Gabe frowned. “I don’t trust you. But if it were anyone but you, I’d think you were only being soft on her.” He smiled cruelly. “Well, being tied to you is an even worse punishment than death. So she’s to go on your rounds with you?”

“Yes,” Sam said. “And if I can’t train her to meet my needs, I’ll find another pet.”

Mor walked over to Gabe and whispered in his ear, though I could hear him. “Anything that keeps Sam a bit saner isn’t a bad thing.”

Gabe considered that for a moment, clearly the leader. “I still don’t like it.”

Os stood up. “I can go with them.”

“No,” Gabe said shortly.

Mor laughed. “Not possible. Without you, Gabe will be making mortals lose their beliefs in the gods wherever he goes.”

Sam stood. “It’s my decision. You can’t gainsay me.”

“I’m the leader here,” Gabe snarled. “You came in out of nowhere, and we’re just supposed to accept you because—”

“You know damn well why you have to accept me,” Sam said, stepping closer, getting nose to nose with Gabe as the blond angel backed up. “Because I have the blood of a celestial from the ninth realm, and yours is only from the fifth.” Sam glared at all of them. “None of you can challenge me.”

He stood then, walking out of the jail with a purposeful stride, without even so much as a “see you later.”

“He’s got a point,” Os said to the others. “None of us can kill him, regardless, because his power is higher, and his father is—”

“I know who his father is,” Gabe snapped, looking over at me. “You better not get us in trouble, girl. Will you behave?”

I stared at him for a second, then turned back to the wall, uninterested in this farce until Sam got back and explained what he meant by keeping me as a pet.

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